Sautéed Quail,
Arugula and Pomegranate Salad

(Serves 2)

This is an easy Sunday supper if you have all of the stocks and sauces in your "larder". If not, then you'll have to plan ahead to have all of the ingredients on hand for Sunday supper or to devise your own impromptu substitutes. It's an ideal fall recipe when ripe, juicy pomegranates are readily available.

Marinade for Quail:

Juice from 1 pomegranate
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp dry thyme leaves
1 clove garlic put through garlic press

Salad:

2 handfuls small arugula leaves
Handful fresh pomegranate seeds

Sauce for Quail:

2 small fresh quail
3 TBS demi glacé
1 TBS pomegranate syrup or Port

Dressing for salad:

Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1 TBS pomegranate syrup (optional)

Preparation:

• Butterfly 2 quail along the backbone. Remove the backbone and spread the quail flat. If you have time, a nice touch is to remove the bones of the rib cage also. It will make eating the quail easier.
  
• Marinate quail for at least 3 hours at room temperature. Reserve the marinade while cooking the quail.
  
• Sauté each quail quickly in olive oil over very, very high heat. This will spatter your stove, but it's well worth it to sear in the juices. Small quail take only 5 minutes to cook. Don't overcook them. When done, hold in warm a oven to let them rest while finishing the preparations.
  
• After the quail is done, return marinade to same sauté pan used to sear quail, add demi glacé and a few TBS pomegranate syrup or port. Reduce to a few TBS. Keep warm.
  
• Mix dressing with arugula and arrange the salad to one side on a large plate or shallow bouillabaisse bowl. Remove quail from oven and toss with reduced sauce in pan. Place quail on same plate beside the salad. Sprinkle the whole plate with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Notes:

• Pomegranate juice: It's important to use fresh pomegranate juice in the marinade for the quail. It not only adds a tangy flavor, but an enzyme in pomegranate juice acts as a natural tenderizer. To get juice from a fresh pomegranate, cut it in half top to bottom and squeeze each half over a bowl. Squeeze gently, being careful not to crush the inner, white part of the seed which will give an off-flavor to the juice if bruised. You may need to strain the juice after squeezing to remove odd particles. While pomegranates were in season this fall, I made a lot of fresh juice and froze it to use later in the year after the pomegranate season had passed. I also plan to use the juice for pomegranate sorbet. A pomegranate vendor at San Francisco Farmer's Market tells me that pomegranate juice is so reactive it will ferment even while frozen. We'll see what happens in the freezer!
  
• Pomegranate syrup: Try to get the thick pomegranate syrup from a Middle Eastern food store. It gives the dressing a very nice tang and brings the whole dish together. In the S.F. Bay Area, Haig's Delicatessen on Clement Street carries it. If you can't find it in your area, you could try making your own by boiling down pomegranate juice with lots of sugar or use port as the nearest substitute.